Cookbook 20% Discount for HL members

There was an error in the June issue of Old Ned Newsletter. League members get a 20% discount for a box of ten books. Great price for a great book. Remember those weddings and graduations and birthdays this summer. Also out of town guests. This book makes a perfect gift for those who love Arizona and it's history and those who want to know more about our state.

Order 2 or more books on the website and get free shipping. Just tell us where you want the books to go. We will save you the trip to the post office.

Membership Open House

Guess who is speaking at our Membership Open House? Wednesday, October 21 is the date for the Historical League's Invitation Only event at the AHS Museum. You won't want to miss this. Invitations will be coming later but tell all your potential invitees to "SAVE THE DATE".

Cookbook ten minute Presentation at Private Event

Marlyse Brock invited me to speak at her Rotary Club meeting in May and it was a lot of fun to meet new people and explain the history of Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. They chuckled when I told them, "It took 2 years to write, just like the birth of an elephant".

Gene Urban from Realty Execs www.urbanteamaz.com called in June and asked me if I was interested in speaking at his weekly meeting. Carolyn Mendoza offered her assistance and we brought our books and props. The folding banner was a great visual aid and Carolyn made granola from pg 196 of the cookbook to sample. (They thought this was delicious). I mentioned the Sandra Day O'Connor house now being rebuilt at our Museum and they had questions about that. We had photos of Rose Mofford and Polly Rosenbaum which also elicited questions. I even brought a copy of the League's first cookbook Arizona's Cooking Heritage with the Victorian Lady holding 2 gila monsters recipe for 'Saute de Gila Monster'. (No it does not taste like chicken).

Turns out Realtors are a great audience and loved the book. It is a perfect client gift for their business as well as great gift for Father's Day, Graduations, Weddings, Birthdays, Hostess gift... So Carolyn and I left after selling 65 cookbooks. We look forward to many more presentations like this one.

Hearst Castle Tour Photos

The hotel was quite nice with suites so everyone had lots of room. Carolyn Mendoza's sister, Sherry Root, lives nearby so joined the group, knew the area and recommended some interesting locations for sightseeing and great dinner venues.

Why is Renee the one going through airport security? Perhaps there is something she hasn't told us about her background? (ha ha)

Joan Galloway, Betty Blank, Renee Donnelly and Delores Tomasek look like they are enjoying the tour. The group spent the day at Hearst Castle and went on 4 different tours. So much to see and so little time...

Photo of The Arizona Story text book

AHS 4th grade Arizona History Book Wins Award

Congratulations to the Arizona Historical Society for winning a 2009 Award of Merit for Educational Programming Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History for the Arizona Story.

The Arizona Story represents the new generation of educational programming. Written by our own Kyle McKoy of the Arizona Historical Society, the 4th grade textbook combines vivid graphics, museum collections, state and national history, and supports multiple intelligence learning strategies for the classroom. The text is aligned with the 4th grade Social Studies Standard and places a special emphasis on analyzing and assessing primary resources. The Arizona Story accurately covers Arizona history from prehistory to the present, spotlights significant history from various regions around the state, and excites young students to explore their state history and take pride in their community.

In less than 20 years, today’s fourth-graders will make political decisions and policies that will affect the preservation of our state’s history. An appreciation for Arizona’s past will ensure their decisions are wise and well-informed.

Kyle is going to Indianapolis in August to receive this award. Congratulations on a well written book.

More from Janie on the San Luis Obispo Trip

Leaving behind the sizzling Phoenix heat, thirty League members and guests boarded a US flight for San Luis Obispo, California. A short time later, the balmy coast weather welcomed us as we disembarked. Our rented mini-vans were waiting at Enterprise. Sharron McKinney, Pam Ryan, Carolyn Mendoza, and Janie Burke were the volunteer chauffeurs for the duration of the tour.

After checking into the Quality Inn Suites, the participants were free to wander through the many quaint shops, check out the antique boutiques, wander along the canal, tour the Mission San Luis de Tolosa, and visit the local wine shops to sample the region’s products. We all enjoyed hotel’s happy hour out on the patio before heading to different restaurants.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we traveled north for the forty-five minute drive to the Hearst Castle. As we meandered up the Hearst Castle Road, some bright eyed ladies were able to spot descendants of the zebras, which Hearst included in his private zoo.

During the day, we were able to participate in three tours. Our first tour was the Experience Tour which provided an over all view of the setting. Tour 2 was Casa Grande where William and his mistress, Marion Davis, spent most of their time entertaining Hollywood stars. Tour 4 included the gardens and a smaller guest house where Marion and William like to stay. Of course, we saw the lovely pools, the gardens, and the kitchen that could meet anyone’s needs, and rows and rows of kingly decorated rooms.

We took the long way home as we stopped for “refreshments” at Cambria and toured Main Street of Moro Bay. Each are quaint sea side villages with much to offer in the way of beauty, history, fresh fish, and wineries.

Thursday was a very simple day: check out; fly home.

Wine anyone?

Who's Your Daddy? It Does Make A Difference

From Janie Burke on the League’s trip to Hearst Castle:

Who’s your daddy? It does make a difference as we learned on our May 2009 destination to the Hearst Castle in San Luis Obispo, CA. The daddy, George Hearst, grew up in Missouri and after graduating from mining school, he tried his hand at farming, selling shoes, and prospecting. He missed the gold rush period, but was part of the silver riches in Nevada known at the Comstock Lode. Eventually he settled in San Francisco, married a young school teacher, and had one son.

Randolph William Hearst was definitely born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Daddy acquired The Daily Examiner as part of a debt collection, and this gave William Hearst his first experience as a newspaper person. William did build his own empire, but had to wait until his father died to begin building his dream castle on land that his daddy acquired years earlier. At age 57, William began working with Julia Morgan to put his ideas into place. Together they spent over twenty-seven years perfecting the Hearst Castle and according to legend; it was never completed because Hearst kept changing his mind. Total cost: ten million dollars.

Grants Awarded to Museum

The Museum is very grateful for their grant money from the Historical League. The funds go to such projects as MYCE (Museum Youth Curators Experience), National History Day, and wonderful interns from ASU. The new Sandra Day O'Connor exhibit is sponsored by the Historical League and should have a grand opening in the fall. We also help provide digital and video cameras, computers for video conferencing and membership in Papago Salado Project. A new project is St Mary's Food Bank Collection. This is the first food bank in the world and we are processing this collection now. Many other items are included for a total of $69,525 in grants.

Seth Willey, Administration and Facilities, Ashley Smith, Library and Archives, Megan Gately, Education, and Dr Peter Welsh, Director, with Jeannine Moyle, accept grant gifts.

Staff Appreciation Luncheon

It is always a great day to see the fruits of our fundraising labors when we present the Grant money to the Museum staff. This year over $69,000 was awarded from the Historical League at the June meeting. We enjoyed lasagna, rolls and salads for this luncheon. One favorite was Romaine Salad with Two Cheeses from page 169 of Tastes & Treasures thanks to Betsy Davis. She told me she couldn't find Beau Monde seasoning at the store but looked it up on the internet and made it herself. Very resourceful lady.
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1 oz) shredded Romano cheese
2 avocados, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
juice of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons Beau Monde seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 heads romaine, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces.
Combine the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, avocados, green onions, lemon juice, Beau Monde seasoning and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Arrange the romaine over the top; do not mix. Chill, covered for 4-24 hours. Toss just before serving. Serves 6 to 8.